The National Assembly’s Committee on Blue Economy, Water, and Irrigation held a meeting with the State Department of Water and Sanitation and representatives of the Judiciary and the National Treasury to discuss the Water Amendment Bill, 2023. This Bill seeks to integrate Public Private Partnerships (PPP) within the water sector.

The Committee chaired by Hon. David Bowen (Marakwet East) received inputs from the Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation,  Hon. Alice Wahome. The CS said the utilization of PPP would empower the Government to enhance essential infrastructure.

She added that the PPP approach would play a crucial role in attracting the targeted Kshs. 500 billion financing required by the Government from investors interested in constructing dams across the nation.

“We have 50 million Kenyans who need water, and we need infrastructure. This is why we are adopting the PPP model as we have a huge financing gap. We hope to attract investors to meet the targeted Kshs500 billion to complete our set projects,” said CS Wahome.

The Committee expressed concern regarding the potential impact of water costs on end-users. Members were apprehensive that investor-driven efforts to recoup investments could result in elevated water prices, thus negatively affecting Kenyans.

However, according to the CS, adoption of the PPP model would in fact lead to cost reduction as the model has capacity to optimize the water framework, reduce water leaks, and mitigate substantial losses of water resources.